October 15
Events * 533 - Byzantine general Belisarius makes his formal entry into Carthage, having conquered it from the Vandals. *1552 - Khanate of Kazan is conquered by troops of Ivan Grozny. *1582 - Pope Gregory XIII implements the Gregorian calendar. In Italy, Poland, Portugal, and Spain, October 4 of this year is followed directly by October 15. *1764 - Edward Gibbon observes a group of friars singing in the ruined Temple of Jupiter in Rome, which inspires him to begin work on The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire *1815 - Napoleon I of France begins his exile on Saint Helena in the Atlantic Ocean. *1863 - American Civil War: The [[Wikipedia:CSS Hunley|CSS H. L. Hunley]], the first submarine to sink a ship, sinks during a test, killing its inventor, Horace L. Hunley. *1878 - The Edison Electric Light Company begins operation. *1880 - Mexican soldiers kill Victorio, one of the greatest Apache military strategists. *1888 - The "From Hell" letter sent by Jack the Ripper is received by the investigators. *1894 - Alfred Dreyfus is arrested for spying - Dreyfus affair begins. *1904 - The Russian Baltic Fleet leaves Reval, Estonia for Port Arthur during the Russo-Japanese War. *1917 - World War I: At Vincennes outside of Paris, Dutch dancer Mata Hari is executed by firing squad for spying for Germany. *1928 - The airship, the Graf Zeppelin completed its first trans-Atlantic flight, landing at Lakehurst, USA. *1932 - Tata Airlines (later to become Air India) makes its first flight. *1934 - The Soviet Republic of China collapses when Chiang Kai-shek's National Revolutionary Army successfully encircle Ruijin, forcing the fleeing Communists to begin the Long March. *1939 - The New York Municipal Airport (later renamed La Guardia Airport) is dedicated. *1940 - "The Great Dictator", a satiric social commentary film by and starring Charlie Chaplin, is released. *1944 - The Arrow Cross Party (very similar to Hitler's NSDAP (Nazi party)) takes over the power in Hungary. *1945 - World War II: The former premier of Vichy France Pierre Laval is shot by a firing squad for treason. *1946 - Nuremberg Trials: Hermann Göring poisons himself the night before his execution. *1951 - Television sitcom I Love Lucy premieres. * 1951 - Mexican chemist Luis E. Miramontes synthesized the first oral contraceptive *1953 - British nuclear test Totem 1 detonated at Emu Field, South Australia. *1965 - Vietnam War: The National Coordinating Committee to End the War in Vietnam stages the first public burning of a draft card in the United States to result in arrest under a new law. *1969 - Vietnam War: Hundreds of thousands of people take part in National Moratorium antiwar demonstrations across the United States. *1970 - Thirty-five construction workers are killed when a section of the new West Gate Bridge in Melbourne collapses. * 1970 - Anwar Sadat becomes president of Egypt *1971 - The start of the 2500-year celebration of Iran, celebrating the birth of Persia. *1981 - Professional cheerleader Krazy George Henderson leads what is thought to be the first audience wave in Oakland. *1987 - The Great Storm of 1987 hits France and England. *1989 - Wayne Gretzky becomes the all-time leading points scorer in the NHL. *1990 - Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to lessen Cold War tensions and open up his nation. *1992 - In Russia, Andrei Chikatilo is found guilty of 53 serial murders. *1997 - The first supersonic land speed record is set by Andy Green in ThrustSSC (United Kingdom). * 1997 - The Cassini probe launches from Cape Canaveral on its way to Saturn. *2001 - NASA's Galileo spacecraft passes within 112 miles of Jupiter's moon Io. *2003 - China launches Shenzhou 5, its first manned space mission. * 2003 - The Staten Island Ferry boat Andrew J. Barberi collides with a pier at the St. George Ferry Terminal in Staten Island, killing 11 people and injuring 43. *2005 - Iraqi constitution ratification vote * 2005 - Riot in Toledo breaks out during a National Socialist/Neo-Nazi protest; over 100 are arrested. *2007 - Sir Menzies Campbell resigns effective immediately as Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the United Kingdom. Births *70 BC - Virgil, Roman poet (d. 19 BC) *1471 - Konrad Mutian, German humanist (d. 1526) *1542 - Akbar, Jellaladin Mahommed, Mughal Emperor (d. 1605) *1608 - Evangelista Torricelli, Italian physicist (d. 1647) *1686 - Allan Ramsay, Scottish poet (d. 1758) *1701 - Marie-Marguerite d'Youville, first native Canadian canonized (d. 1771) *1711 - Elisabeth Teresa of Lorraine, queen of Sardinia (d. 1741) *1784 - Thomas Robert Bugeaud, Marshal of France and duke of Isly (d. 1849) *1814 - Mikhail Lermontov, Russian author (d. 1841) *1825 - Queen Marie of Prussia (d. 1889) *1829 - Asaph Hall, American astronomer (d. 1907) *1836 - James Tissot, French artist (d. 1902) *1840 - Honoré Mercier, politician and premier of Quebec (d. 1894) *1844 - Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (d. 1900) *1858 - John L. Sullivan, American boxer (d. 1918) *1872 - Wilhelm Miklas, Austrian president (d. 1956) *1874 - Prince Alfred of Edinburgh (d. 1899) *1878 - Paul Reynaud, French politician (d. 1966) *1879 - Jane Darwell, Academy Award-winning American actress (d. 1967) *1881 - P. G. Wodehouse, British novelist (d. 1975) *1882 - Charley O'Leary, American baseball player (d. 1941) *1884 - Arch Hoxsey, pioneer aviator (d. 1910) *1893 - King Carol II of Romania (d. 1953) *1894 - Moshe Sharett, second Prime Minister of Israel (d. 1965) *1898 - Boughera El Ouafi, Algerian athlete (d. 1951) *1900 - Mervyn LeRoy, American film director (d. 1987) *1905 - C. P. Snow, British writer (d. 1980) *1906 - Hiram Leong Fong, American politician (d. 2004) *1907 - Varian Fry, American journalist (d. 1967) *1908 - John Kenneth Galbraith, Canadian economist (d. 2006) *1909 - Robert Trout, American reporter (d. 2000) * 1909 - Jesse Leonard Greenstein, American astronomer (d. 2002) *1915 - Yitzhak Shamir, Israeli politician *1917 - Jan Miner, American actress (d. 2004) * 1917 - Arthur Schlesinger Jr., American historian and political commentator (d. 2007) *1920 - Mario Puzo, American novelist (d. 1999) * 1920 - Henri Verneuil, French film director (d. 2002) *1922 - Agustina Bessa-Luís, Portuguese writer *1923 - Italo Calvino. Italian writer (d. 1985) *1924 - Lee Iacocca, American industrialist * 1924 - Mark Lenard, American actor (d. 1996) * 1924 - Marguerite Andersen, German writer *1925 - Mickey Baker, American guitarist (Mickey & Sylvia) *1926 - Michel Foucault, French philosopher (d. 1984) * 1926 - Evan Hunter, American author (d. 2005) * 1926 - Jean Peters, American actress (d. 2000) * 1926 - Karl Richter, German conductor (d. 1981) *1930 - Fereydun M. Esfandiary, Iranian philosopher (d. 2000) *1931 - Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, President of India *1934 - N. Ramani, Indian flutist *1935 - Bobby Joe Morrow, American sprinter * 1935 - Barry McGuire, American singer *1938 - Fela Kuti, Nigerian musician (d. 1997) * 1938 - Marv Johnson, American singer (d. 1993) *1940 - Tommy Bishop, English rugby league player * 1940 - Peter Doherty, Australian immunologist, Nobel laureate *1942 - Penny Marshall, American actress *1944 - Sali Berisha, President of Albania * 1944 - David Trimble, Irish politician, Nobel laureate * 1944 - Haim Saban, Egyptian-born American media proprietor *1945 - Jere Burns, American actor * 1945 - Jim Palmer, American baseball player *1946 - Richard Carpenter, American musician (The Carpenters) *1948 - Chris de Burgh, Irish singer and songwriter *1953 - Tito Jackson, American musician * 1953 - Larry Miller, American actor and comedian * 1953 - Betsy Clifford, Canadian alpine skier *1954 - Peter Bakowski, Australian poet *1955 - Kulbir Bhaura, British field hockey player * 1955 - Tanya Roberts, American actress *1957 - Mira Nair, Indian director * 1957 - Stacy Peralta, American director *1959 - Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York * 1959 - Emeril Lagasse, American chef * 1959 - Todd Solondz, American film director *1961 - John Kenny, Irish sports broadcaster and journalist *1964 - Roberto Vittori, Italian astronaut *1966 - Jorge Campos, Mexican footballer *1968 - Jyrki 69, Finnish musician The 69 Eyes * 1968 - Didier Deschamps, French football player *1969 - Vanessa Marcil, American actress * 1969 - Dominic West, British actor * 1969 - Vítor Baía, Portuguese footballer *1970 - Eric Benét, American singer *1971 - Andy Cole, British footballer * 1971 - Jason Arhndt, American wrestler *1972 - Matt Keeslar, American actor * 1972 - Sandra Kim, Belgian singer *1975 - Ginuwine, American singer * 1975 - Glen Little, English footballer *1976 - Yoon Son-ha, South Korean actress and singer *1977 - Masato Kawabata, Japanese racing driver * 1977 - Erin McKeown, American musician * 1977 - David Trezeguet, French football player * 1977 - Patricio Urrutia, Ecuadorian footballer *1978 - Devon Gummersall, American actor * 1978 - Takeshi Morishima Japanese professional wrestler *1979 - Paul Robinson, English football player * 1979 - Māris Verpakovskis, Latvian football player *1980 - Tom Boonen, Belgian cyclist * 1980 - Siiri Nordin, Finnish singer (Killer) *1981 - Keyshia Cole, African American R&B singer * 1981 - Elena Dementieva, Russian tennis player * 1981 - Guo Jingjing, Chinese diver * 1981 - Radoslav Židek, Slovak snowboarder *1982 - Paulini Curuenavuli, Fijian singer * 1982 - Charline Labonté, French Canadian ice hockey goaltender *1983 - Stephy Tang, Hong Kong singer and actress *1985 - Walter López, Uruguayan footballer * 1985 - Marcos Martinez Ucha, Spanish racing driver *1986 - Lee Donghae, Korean singer (a member of super junior) *1987 - Jesse Levine, American tennis player *1992 - Vincent Martella, American actor *2005 - Prince Christian of Denmark Deaths * 412 - Theophilus, Patriarch of Alexandria * 898 - Lambert * 912 - Abdullah ibn Muhammad, Emir of Córdoba *1002 - Otto-Henry (b. 946) *1080 - Rudolf of Rheinfeld, Duke of Swabia *1326 - Walter de Stapledon, English bishop (b. 1261) *1389 - Pope Urban VI *1564 - Vesalius, Flemish anatomist (b. 1514) *1715 - Humphry Ditton, English mathematician (b. 1675) *1730 - Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, French explorer (b. 1658) *1788 - Samuel Greig, Scottish-Russian admiral (b. 1735) *1810 - Alfred Moore, American judge (b. 1755) *1811 - Nathaniel Dance-Holland, English painter (b. 1735) *1817 - Tadeusz Kościuszko, Polish and Lithuanian national hero (b. 1746) *1819 - Sergey Vyazmitinov, Russian general and statesman (b. 1744) *1820 - Karl Philipp Fürst zu Schwarzenberg, Austrian field marshal (b. 1771) *1837 - Ivan Dmitriev, Russian statesman and poet (b. 1760) *1880 - Victorio, Apache leader *1891 - Gilbert Arthur a Beckett, English writer (b. 1837) *1900 - Zdeněk Fibich, Czech composer (b. 1850) *1910 - Stanley Ketchel, boxer (murdered) (b. 1886) *1917 - Mata Hari, Dutch dancer and spy (b. 1876) *1918 - Shirdi Sai Baba, Indian guru (b. circa 1838) *1930 - Herbert Henry Dow, American chemical industrialist (b. 1866) *1934 - Raymond Poincaré, French statesman (b. 1860) *1945 - Pierre Laval, Prime Minister of Vichy France (executed) (b. 1883) *1946 - Hermann Göring, German air force commander (suicide) (b. 1893) *1948 - Edythe Chapman, American actress (b. 1863) *1959 - Lipót Fejér, Hungarian mathematician (b. 1880) *1960 - Clara Kimball Young, American actress (b. 1890) *1963 - Horton Smith. American golfer (b. 1908) *1964 - Cole Porter, American composer (b. 1891) *1976 - Carlo Gambino, American gangster (b. 1902) *1980 - Mikhail Lavrentyev, Russian physicist and mathematician (b. 1900) * 1980 - Apostolos Nikolaidis, Greek footballer and volleyball player (b. 1896) *1981 - Philip Fotheringham-Parker, British racing driver (b. 1907) *1987 - Thomas Sankara, African revolutionary and leader of Burkina Faso (assassinated) (b. 1949) *1988 - Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji, English composer and pianist (b. 1892) *1994 - Sarah Kofman, French philosopher (b. 1934) *1995 - Marco Campos, Brazilian racing driver (b. 1976) *2000 - Konrad Emil Bloch, German-born biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1912) *2001 - Zhang Xueliang, Chinese ruler of Manchuria (b. 1901) *2003 - Bertram N. Brockhouse, Canadian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918) * 2003 - Ben Metcalfe, Canadian environmental activist (b. 1919) *2005 - Jason Collier, American basketball player (b. 1977) * 2005 - Matti Wuori, Finnish politician (b. 1945) Holidays and observances * October 15 * Roman festivals - the Equirria or October equus: sacrifice of a horse to Mars * R.C. Saints - Saint Teresa of Avila *United States - White Cane Safety Day *French Republican Calendar - Amaryllis (Amaryllis) Day, twenty-fourth day in the Month of Vendémiaire External links * BBC: On This Day * * On This Day in Canada ---- Category:October